Cashew Cheesecake
Cheesecake has long been a favourite indulgence of mine, and it’s one I thought would be gone forever when I stopped eating gluten and dairy. What is cheesecake without the CHEESE!? Well, I’m happy to report, the answer to that is…DELICIOUS!
Cashews blend up so smooth and creamy it can be easy to forget they are a nutritional powerhouse. Yes, while they are a decent source of protein and are lower fat than many other nuts, it’s the trace minerals that really shine. Cashews are an excellent source of copper, yes that copper, like pennies were made of in the olden days. Just a quarter of a cup provides nearly all your daily copper needs.
Why the heck do we need copper? Copper is used by several systems in the body. It is critical to building strong tissues where it is utilized in the production of collagen and proper blood volume where copper is used in the formation of red blood cells. Perhaps most importantly copper is used in the production of energy within your cells in your mitochondria. Mitochondria are known as the powerhouse of the cell, being responsible for most of the cell’s energy. Copper provides the key to the last enzyme in this energy production pathway.
These cheesecakes are full of good fats, fibre and natural sugars so they won’t spike your blood sugar and have you looking for another snack in an hour. I use a small batch recipe since there are just two of us at home now, but could easily be doubled for a larger crowd.
The simplicity of tossing ingredients into a blender or food processor makes prep and clean up a breeze.
Cashew Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
- 3/4 cup pecans raw
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil melted
- 4 dates softened and chopped
- pinch cinnamon
Filling
- 1 1/4 cup cashews raw, soaked and drained
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/8 cup coconut oil melted
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/8 cup water as needed
- 1/16 tsp sea salt
Topping
- 1 cup cherries or raspberries fresh or frozen
- 1/2 tsp arrowroot starch
- 1/8 cup water or unsweetened cranberry juice
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp maple syrup optional
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat oven to 350*. Add silicone liners to a muffin tin.
- Blend pecans roughly in a bullet type blender, then add remaining ingredients and blend until ingredients come together.
- Divide mixture evenly into silicone liners, then press firmly to cover the bottom.
- Bake for 7 – 10 minutes, just until set.
Filling
- While crust is baking, prepare filling.
- Blend all ingredients, except water in a bullet type blender. Add water a tablespoon at a time, just until the ingredients come together smoothly.
- Spoon ingredients evenly onto the baked crusts. Smooth out, then allow to set in the refrigerator or freeze.
Topping
- Toss fruit with arrowroot to coat.
- In a medium saucepan add water, lemon juice and maple syrup. Stir to blend.
- Turn heat to medium and add fruit, stirring to blend well.
- Stir occasionally until sauce is at a gentle simmer, 5 – 7 minutes (frozen fruit will take a few minutes longer). Sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Cool to room temperature, then cover and store in a glass container. Refrigerate until ready to use. Sauce will thicken more as it cools.
- To serve, add topping to cooled cheesecakes.